The following discussion is provided solely to assist the understanding of the reader, and does not constitute an admission that any of the information discussed or references cited constitute prior art.
Mineral spirits (CAS Reg. No. 64475-85-0) are petroleum distillates derived from the light distillate fractions during the crude oil refining process, and are generally composed of six to eleven carbon (C6-C11)-containing alkane hydrocarbon compounds (though small amounts of other compounds may be present), with the majority of the mass composed of C9-C11 alkanes. Mineral spirits are commonly used as a paint thinner and mild solvent. In industry, mineral spirits are used in conjunction with cutting oil, and for cleaning and degreasing machine tools and parts.
Odorless Mineral Spirits (hereinafter abbreviated “OMS”), e.g., CAS Reg. Nos. 8052-41-3 or 64742-48-9, are petroleum-derived mineral spirits that have been further refined to remove toxic aromatic compounds including benzene and toluene. OMS has an initial boiling point of about 340F (171-178° C.) and a specific mass of about 0.76 g/cc, and is often recommended for applications where humans have close contact with the solvent, including oil painting, ink printing and addition to barbecue charcoal as an easily ignited lighter fluid. As such, OMS has been used for many years to initiate combustion of more difficult to ignite regular fuels including charcoal, coal, and pellet fuels, for example. OMS charcoal lighter has dominated the marketplace and has been sold for many years by a number of companies including the Kingsford Products Company (Oakland, Calif.), Royal Oak Enterprises, LLC (Roswell, Ga.), Reckitt and Coleman (Wayne, N.J.) and Duraflame Inc. (Stockton, Calif.). User directions suggest that an amount of OMS fluid equal to approximately 10% the weight of the charcoal should be applied to the charcoal (1.6 fluid oz per pound of charcoal). Therefore, a quart of the fluid is sufficient to light approximately one 20 lb. bag of charcoal. Although used for many years, there is a significant opportunity to improve the safety and convenience of such lighter fluids by addition of an improved thickening agent.
Consideration is also given to hydrophobic non-petroleum fuels such as medium to long chain (C8-C18) fatty acid ester fuels such as biodiesel fuel. Biodiesel fuel can be used in standard diesel engines, and is thus distinct from vegetable and waste oils used to fuel converted diesel engines. Biodiesel can be used alone (termed “B100 fuel”), or blended with petroleum hydrocarbon fuels (e.g., B20 containing 20% biodiesel+80% petroleum diesel fuel). Blends of less than 20% biodiesel can be used in diesel equipment with no, or only minor, modification. Biodiesel can also be used as an alternative to petroleum-based heating oil.
Fatty acid esters contain alkyl chains of varying length, e.g., C4-C18 that may be esterified to methyl, ethyl or propyl moieties. Fatty acid methyl esters have been assigned standard CAS registration numbers based upon the number/range of carbon atoms in their fatty acids as follows: C6-C12, CAS Reg. No. 67762-39-4; C10, CAS Reg. No. 110-42-9; C12, CAS Reg. No. 111-82-0; C12-C18, CAS Reg. No. 68937-84-8; and C16-C18, CAS Reg. No. 85586-21-6. Fatty acid methyl esters are aliphatic organic esters primarily prepared by the reaction of carboxylic fatty acids derived from natural fats and oils and methanol in the presence of a base catalyst. The resulting esters can be subsequently processed into various alkyl range cuts by fractional distillation. Fatty acid methyl esters are used extensively as intermediates in the manufacture of detergents, emulsifiers, wetting agents, stabilizers, textile treatments, and waxes, among other applications. Lesser volumes of fatty acid methyl esters are used in a variety of direct and indirect food additive applications, including the dehydration of grapes to produce raisins, synthetic flavoring agents, and in metal lubricants for metallic articles intended for food contact use. Fatty acid methyl esters are also used as intermediates in the manufacture of a variety of food ingredients.
Applicant's co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/205,026, incorporated herein by reference, employs, in some embodiments, thermo-precipitated monoglycerides as rheology modifiers that thicken hydrophobic liquid fuels. When certain monoglycerides are thermo-precipitated and dispersed under suitable conditions in a hydrophobic liquid such as a petroleum-based fuel, these monoglycerides are capable of forming micron-sized solid microparticles that can thicken the liquid. The compositions and methods therein describe, in certain embodiments, the use of molten monoglycerides that are added and dispersed at an elevated temperature, e.g., 70-80° C., into a flammable fuel.
In the present invention, certain embodiments are directed to reducing the hazard associated with dispersing an ingredient in a flammable hydrophobic liquid, e.g., so that neither the ingredient nor the liquid are at a temperature above the flash point of the liquid. Applicant has devised various compositions herein, including compositions that allow dispersal of solid monoglycerides at ambient temperature in a flammable fuel in which the chemistry and the physical structure of the monoglycerides have been altered to allow such dispersal and thickening of a fuel at ambient temperature.